The Monday after Thanksgiving was one of those days that you just can’t prepare for. Instead of heading back to work after the holiday, I found myself at a crossroads—literally and emotionally. Our beloved cat, who had been battling health issues all week, had to be left at the vet again. Deep down, I knew this trip would likely be our last goodbye. As we waited in town for the bloodwork to come back, another curveball hit. My husband noticed an issue with the steering in our car. Thankfully, a mechanic friend had a cancellation that day and could repair it, but as I watched the bills pile up—the vet, the mechanic—I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.
Then came Tuesday. My husband’s truck broke down, adding yet another unexpected expense. By Wednesday night, I thought I’d hit my limit. As I drove to pick up my daughter and her friend for church, the alternator in my car gave out, leaving me stranded on the side of the road in the cold, pouring rain.
I was angry. I was exhausted. And I was laser-focused on the wrong things—the inconvenience, the bills, the frustration. In that moment, it didn’t occur to me to ask deeper questions. Was God protecting us from something worse? Were the people He brought across my path in these moments somehow being impacted for His glory? And how was I reflecting my faith in the midst of all this chaos?
That’s when Habakkuk 3:17-18 came to mind:
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
These verses remind us that trusting God isn’t about waiting for perfect circumstances. It’s about finding joy in Him even when life feels like it’s falling apart. Just as Habakkuk chose to praise God despite the bleakness of his situation, I realized that my focus needed to shift. Instead of being consumed by what was going wrong, I needed to trust that God was at work in ways I couldn’t yet see.
This reflection laid the foundation for an important journey—a journey of trusting God amidst waves of bad news. Let’s dive deeper into how we can recognize His sovereignty, find strength in His promises, and embrace faith over fear, no matter the challenges we face.
1. Recognizing God’s Sovereignty
The Friday before Thanksgiving felt full of promise. My daughter was bursting with excitement about our holiday plans. For the first time, we were going to do something completely different—attend the Houston Thanksgiving Day parade. She talked endlessly about staying in a hotel with a heated rooftop pool, planning every detail in her mind. Her joy was infectious, and we were all looking forward to the break.
But by Saturday morning, the mood shifted. Our cat, who was usually glued to our sides, began hiding—a clear sign something was wrong. By Sunday, he had stopped eating entirely. Concerned, we let our daughter know what was happening. Together, we wrapped up our cherished pet and made the hour-long drive to the only emergency vet clinic open.
The news was devastating. Lab work revealed that his condition was critical, and while there was a sliver of hope that antibiotics and steroids might help, the prognosis wasn’t good. We left the clinic that night, $850 lighter and hearts heavy with uncertainty. During the drive home, we made the tough decision to cancel our Thanksgiving plans. Instead of parades and pools, we chose to stay home and care for our cat, giving him as much comfort as possible. Our extended family rearranged their plans to spend the day with us, offering support in what became an unexpectedly somber holiday.
I don’t understand why God allows things to happen the way they do. The timing often seems cruel or nonsensical. Why would He let us get so excited about a change in tradition, only to bring us right back to where we always are on Thanksgiving—home, with a familiar sadness settling over the day? Why did we spend the holiday balancing prayers for a miracle with the inevitability of goodbye?
But while I don’t understand, I trust that God’s timing is perfect, even when it doesn’t make sense to me. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) has been my anchor this week.
My daughter has had so many questions, and in her sweet, faith-filled way, she has tried to make sense of it all. She told me she thought maybe God took our cat because she had prayed for help moving on from the grief of losing our dog a year earlier. At the emergency vet clinic, she had seen a pamphlet about dealing with pet grief, and she wondered if God was answering her prayer in this heartbreaking way.
I reassured her that God doesn’t work like that. His timing is sovereign, but it isn’t cruel or manipulative. I reminded her that God has a plan even when we can’t see it, and His timing isn’t about taking something from us but rather working in ways we may not understand right now.
The reality, though, is that this week has been overwhelming. I’ve been trying to help her navigate these deep questions while recovering from strep throat and tackling a mountain of schoolwork. My daughter needs space and time to process her emotions, but instead, we’ve been juggling tears over heartbreak with tears over fractions.
In the midst of it all, though, I see God’s hand. It’s not in the way I expected, and it’s certainly not in the way I would have chosen. But He is working through the pain, teaching us to lean into His plans and trust His timing—even when life feels like a tangle of canceled plans, unanswered questions, and overwhelming grief.
When I pause to see the bigger picture, I realize that God has been with us every step of the way. He is sovereign. He is good. And even in this, we know He has a plan.
2. Finding Strength in God’s Promises
And just when I thought the weight of the week couldn’t grow heavier, my boss walked into my office this morning. She started with an apologetic tone, and I immediately knew this wasn’t going to be good news. She explained that while I had accrued 15 hours of vacation time, company policy didn’t allow me to use it until I’d been there six months.
The Monday after Thanksgiving, when everything was spiraling and I knew I needed to be home with my daughter, I had called to request the day off without pay. My boss approved it, and neither of us thought twice about how it might affect anything else. But as payroll processed my check, a different policy came into play: because I took an unpaid day off immediately following a holiday, I wasn’t eligible for two days of holiday pay. What was supposed to be one unpaid day had turned into three.
She softened the blow by telling me they planned to reevaluate the policy going forward since my situation clearly wasn’t the intent of the rule. But it didn’t change the fact that I was unexpectedly losing three days’ pay during a week when bills were already piling up.
As she spoke, I felt my chest tighten. The what-ifs flooded my mind. What if the cat had taken a turn for the worse a day later? What if my daughter hadn’t needed that mental health day when she did? What if I’d just pushed through and gone to work? But as quickly as those thoughts came, they were met with a quiet reassurance: God knew. He knew I wouldn’t have been with my family that day if I had known about the policy. He knew where He needed me—at home, present for my daughter, and walking through those hard moments together.
As my boss apologized again, I looked her in the eye and said, “I’m sure that was in the handbook. It’s my fault for not knowing it. But I also know God has us, and financially, we’ll be okay. He’s never forsaken us.”
I meant every word. God has always provided for us. Just the week before, my husband had taken on some extra overtime at a church where he works part-time in media. We thought that income would help cover the vet and mechanic bills, but now I could see it was also there to cover the unexpected shortfall in my paycheck.
It reminded me of Isaiah 41:10:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Time and time again, God has strengthened and upheld us in ways we never could have planned for. This wasn’t the first time we’d faced an unexpected trial. I thought back to earlier moments in our lives when the numbers didn’t add up on paper, but somehow, God made a way. The time when bills came out of nowhere, and a surprise check from a deceased relative’s escrow account arrived in the mail. Or the month when work slowed for my husband, and we received a gift from a church member we hadn’t even told about our struggles.
Each time, God reminded us of His promises—not to spare us from challenges, but to walk with us through them, providing exactly what we needed, exactly when we needed it.
This moment was no different. Even as I sat there listening to my boss explain the policy, I felt God’s reassuring presence. He reminded me that He’s always in control, even when life feels out of control. As frustrating as it was to lose that pay, I realized that the value of being there for my daughter far outweighed the financial loss. And as always, God had already made a way to provide for our needs before I even knew what they were.
It wasn’t easy, but I left that conversation with a heart full of gratitude. God had strengthened me in my weakness and reminded me once again of His unshakable faithfulness.
Embracing Faith Over Fear
As I look back over the past couple of weeks, it feels like one challenge after another: vet bills, canceled plans, a broken-down car, lost income, and a grieving child who’s struggling to make sense of it all. Each event seemed to pile on top of the other, leaving me feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and at times, questioning why it all had to happen at once.
But in the middle of all the chaos, God has been there. He reminded me of Habakkuk’s words to rejoice in the Lord even when the fig trees don’t bud, the crops fail, and the stalls are empty. Through that scripture, I was challenged to shift my focus from my circumstances to the God who holds everything together.
When our plans to attend the Thanksgiving parade fell apart because of our cat’s illness, I was reminded to trust God’s timing, even when I didn’t understand it. Proverbs 3:5 calls us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” God’s sovereignty was evident, even in that heartbreak, as I saw how He used that time to bring our family together and teach my daughter about leaning on Him in grief.
Then, when my boss delivered the news about losing three days’ pay, I could have let it crush me. But instead, God brought Isaiah 41:10 to mind: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.” I reflected on how God has always provided for us, and once again, He showed up through my husband’s overtime pay—a provision we didn’t realize we’d need.
In each trial, I’ve been reminded of God’s faithfulness. Psalm 9:9-10 says, “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Even when the storm clouds gather, we can find refuge in God’s promises. He never leaves us, and He never fails us.
If you’re facing waves of bad news in your life, I want to encourage you: remain steadfast in your faith. God’s Word is filled with promises that remind us He is with us in every trial. He doesn’t promise a life free of trouble, but He does promise to strengthen us, provide for us, and never forsake us.
Through every car breakdown, every unexpected expense, and every tear-filled moment, God has shown me that He is my refuge. He has reminded me that trusting Him means surrendering my understanding and choosing faith over fear. And while I still don’t have all the answers, I can rest in the truth that He is good, He is faithful, and He is working all things for His glory and my good.
Whatever you’re facing today, I hope you find encouragement in these stories, these scriptures, and in the unshakable truth of God’s faithfulness. Let’s choose to trust Him, even when the waves keep coming, knowing that He is our stronghold in times of trouble.